By Luke Dalton | Updated 2026-07-07

In 30 Seconds

We threw the first stone

Some context before anyone feels sorry for us. We started it. Contact Coffee and Black Rifle Coffee are, on paper, the same idea grown in different soil: both founded by military veterans, both roasting seriously strong coffee, both built for the same kind of drinker. They did it in America with America-sized budgets. We did it in Britain with a roastery and a point to prove.

So we posted a call-out reel aimed squarely at the biggest name in the game. Punching up is a fine British tradition, and we assumed it would go the way these things usually go, which is nowhere.

Then they answered. In their biggest film of the year.

It did not go nowhere. Black Rifle dropped their 4th of July campaign film for 250 years of America: a military heavy transporter stacked with a wall of guitar amps, a guitarist on top of the lot, and the kind of production budget you can see from orbit. At the time of writing it sits north of 112,000 likes and 10,000 shares.

And in the comments of that film, the author account wrote five words at us: "@contactcoffeeco you have 24 hours to respond." That comment currently has over 900 likes on its own, which is more engagement than most brands get on an entire post.

To be clear about the scale mismatch here: Black Rifle Coffee is a publicly listed American company. We are a veteran-owned roastery in Gloucestershire. Being named in the comments of their flagship national campaign is roughly the equivalent of a Sunday league side getting called out at the Super Bowl.

We responded. Inside the deadline.

First in writing, with the reply the moment deserved: "We have responded." Then properly, with our call to arms reel. We will let the two films speak for themselves, except to note that one of them cost more than our roastery and the other one has better coffee behind it.

Since then the exchange has stayed exactly what it should be: two veteran-founded coffee companies on opposite sides of the Atlantic having a proper laugh at each other's expense, with genuine respect underneath it. There is now an invitation on the table for us to visit them in Texas. We are minded to accept, on the condition that they eventually return the favour and find out what British weather does to morale.

Why this matters more than banter

Strip the jokes out and there is a real point underneath. For years, British drinkers who wanted what Black Rifle represents, strong coffee with a military identity behind it, had to import it or go without. That is exactly the gap Contact Coffee was built to fill: UK-roasted, veteran-owned, and at the top end measurably stronger. Our Red On is a single origin 100% Robusta delivering 1,293mg of caffeine per 12fl oz brewed, one of the strongest coffees in the world, and the whole Red On range puts it in every format from beans to brew bags to cans.

If the banter brought you here and you want the practical version of this conversation, our guide to Black Rifle Coffee in the UK covers where to get it here, what it costs once it crosses the Atlantic, and what the British alternative looks like side by side.

What happens next

Texas, possibly. More reels, certainly. And the flag stays up: our Union Jack campaign is now live on more than 40 digital billboards across Britain, which is our answer to anyone wondering what we did next. And a standing offer to every Black Rifle drinker watching from the UK: the import duty on American coffee is real, the postage is worse, and there is a roastery here that speaks your language with a different accent. Start with a bag of Red On or go straight to the Coffee Resupply, four bags of strong British coffee in a steel ammo tin, and decide for yourself who should have been given the 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Black Rifle Coffee really call out Contact Coffee?

Yes. In the comments of their own 4th of July 2026 campaign film, Black Rifle Coffee's account wrote "@contactcoffeeco you have 24 hours to respond." The comment gathered over 900 likes. Contact Coffee replied in the comments and then with a response reel, inside the deadline.

Who started the exchange between Contact Coffee and Black Rifle Coffee?

Contact Coffee did, with a call-out reel aimed at Black Rifle. Black Rifle answered publicly in their 4th of July campaign comments, and the exchange has continued as good-natured banter between two veteran-founded coffee brands.

What is the UK equivalent of Black Rifle Coffee?

Contact Coffee is the closest UK equivalent: a veteran-owned British roastery making seriously strong coffee with a military identity, shipped fresh from the UK. Its strongest blend, Red On, is a 100% Robusta delivering 1,293mg of caffeine per 12fl oz brewed, and the range spans ground coffee, beans, brew bags, cans and caffeine pouches.

Can you buy Black Rifle Coffee in the UK?

Availability in the UK is limited and imports carry shipping and duty costs. Our separate guide to Black Rifle Coffee in the UK covers the current stockist picture and the British alternatives in detail.

Are Contact Coffee and Black Rifle Coffee rivals?

Friendly ones. Both are veteran-founded coffee companies serving a similar drinker on different continents, and the exchange between them has been banter with respect underneath it, including an invitation for Contact Coffee to visit Black Rifle in Texas.

Here from the reels? Try Red On, the strongest thing either side of this argument, or browse the full range.

Related Guides

• The Union Jack billboard campaign: they took the flags down, so we put ours on more than 40 digital screens across Britain.
• Black Rifle Coffee UK: where to buy it here, what it costs, and the British alternative side by side.
• The Red On range: our strongest blend in every format: coffee, brew bags, cans and caffeine pouches.
• The best military coffee in the UK: the full field, ranked.
• The Coffee Resupply: four bags of strong British coffee in a steel ammo tin.

References and Further Reading

• Contact Coffee: the original call-out reel
• Black Rifle Coffee: 4th of July campaign film with the 24 hours comment
• Contact Coffee: the call to arms response reel